A financial investor has been disqualified for 11 years after an Insolvency Service investigation found he had abused thousands of pounds worth of client’s funds which were invested in volatile foreign exchange markets
Gerald Etangayong, from south east London, was the sole director and shareholder of GEC Consultancy Ltd, a company that was not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Incorporated in 2014, GEC offered investment services for clients wanting to trade in the global financial markets, as well as training for people who wanted to conduct their own trades.
However, just over a year later the company experienced financial difficulties and by November 2015, GEC was placed into creditors voluntary liquidation.
Insolvency Service investigators found that GEC had been operating an investment scheme where it managed foreign currency investments on behalf of a company based in the British Virgin Islands.
GEC received more than £194,000 worth of funds from investors but only invested around £96,000 in a foreign currency investment platform, and while the funds increased in value by approximately £22,000, only around £57,000 was paid back to the investors.
When asked where the remaining funds ended up, approximately £61,000, Etangayong said he used the money to settle GEC’s outstanding liabilities and repay loans, while £17,000 was paid from the company’s account to his personal bank account.
Etangayong was also found to have allowed GEC to accept deposits from investors despite knowing that the company’s promotional material was misleading.
The Insolvency Service said exaggerated claims on the marketing literature included that funds would be ‘safe and secure at all times’, would be held in a segregated account and investors would receive a full reimbursement of all the capital invested at the end of the investment period. It said Etangayong should have advised his investors of the key risks, including potential large losses and the highly volatile and unpredictable nature of the foreign exchange market.
The Insolvency Service said that as a result of director’s misconduct, at least £200,185 remains outstanding to investors.
Robert Clarke, head of company investigation at the Insolvency Service, said: ‘Gerald Etangayong abused his position by knowingly taking people’s money for investments he knew were never viable.
‘An 11-year disqualification is a substantial ban and should serve as a warning that we will always look to remove from the business community those directors who act below the standards that should be expected of them.’
Report by Pat Sweet
